Air conditioner



Oct. 31, 1939. A. J. LAMM AIR CONDITIONER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 8, 1937 Get. 31, 1939. 4 A. J. LAMM AIR CONDITIONER Filed June 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 2,178,176 AIR. CONDITIONER v 7 Albert J. Lamm, Fremont, Nebr.

Application June 8, 1937, Serial No. 147,130

1 Claim.

of buildings such as schools, churches, stores, etc.,

and is adapted for use in connection with or independently of air heating systems.

Anobject of the invention is to provide a simple but very eflicient apparatus which can be installed readily and utilizes, as a cooling medium, water contained within a dug well located be- 10 neath or in close proximity to the structure to be cooled. v

A further object is to provide an air-conditioner free from objectionable mechanisms, the only working part, if any, being a motor propelled air forcing means to insure proper circulation of the air within the structure where the apparatus is located.

Another object is to provide'apparatus requiring litte if any'attention and which can be adjusted readily to maintain either a closed inside circulation of air or to furnish a constant supply of fresh air from-without the structure.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as'the description proceeds, 25 the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claim,- it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of 30 parts without departing from the spirit bf the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred forms of the invention have been shown.

. In said drawings 35 Figure 1 is a vertical section thro'ugh a building equipped with an air-conditioner embodying the present improvements.

.Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the cooling unit of the apparatus.

m Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4, Figure 2.

In Figure 1 there has been shown a building B provided with a hot air furnace F from which extend a suitable number of air ducts D leading to outlets or registers R located at suitable points within the structure whereby, during .cold

Weather, warm air can be supplied to various as to swing about a pivot 5 into position to close either of'the inlets 2 and 3.

That end of duct 1 remote from the inlets opens into a blower casing 6 the outlet 1 of which opens into the furnace F. This blower can 5 be driven by an electric motor or any other suitable means, as will be obvious and, when in operation, will set up a forced movement of air from duct I to the furnace 'F and thence through. the ducts n to the interior of building B. If m- 10 let 2 is closed an inside circulation of air will thusbe established. If inlet 3 is closed the blower will operate to draw fresh air into duct 5 and then deliver it into the building through ducts D.

For the p'urpose of cooling the air supplied to the interior of the building it is essential that a ,well 8 be provided beneath or in close proximity It is also essential that there be located in the well a submerged cooling unit communicating with duct 1 through an intake duct' 9 and an outflow ductJfl. It is also desirable to position a suitable valve, such as a fpivoted blade I! within duct l at a point'where it can be shifted 26 to close communication between said duct and the top of duct [0 or to (lose duct l at a point between the upper ends of the two ducts 9 and It. The valve has been shown in this latter position in Figure 1 sothat air entering duct i from 30 either inlet 2 or 3 cannotflow directly to the blower casing 6 but must flow downwardly within duct 9 to the cooling unit and thence upwardly through duct it.

The types of cooling units can vary. Each unit 85 can be made of any suitable material, preferably a metal possessing a high degree of thermal conductivity and the size of the unit and its capacity can be varied to meet the requirements.

In Figures 1 to 4 inclusive there has been shown 40 a cooling unit comprising a rectangular casing it provided, along. its vertical center with a water column I3 made up of superposed connected tubes l4 the tops and bottoms of which are slotted as at l5 so as to maintain communication between the tubes. The ends of the tubes open through the adjacent walls of casing 12 and are preferablyclosed by means vof screens it which serve to keep out objectionable foreign substances which might be contained within the well. 59

Additional water columns I! are located along two opposed walls of casing I2, each being formed by an inner corrugated wall l8 spaced from the corresponding wall 'of thecasing. Each of these side columns opens through those casing walls at the sides of the column and. screens l9 are provided for preventing foreign substances from entering these columns N.

All of the water columns extend to the top of easing H. The side columns I! extend to the bottom of the casing but the central column 13 terminates above the bottom and the lower section or tube It thereof is extended laterally toward one of the columns I! so as to form a .throat 2,0. Duct 9 opens into the top of casing I2 between column [3 and one of the columns I! and all of the columns cooperate with casing I2 to form an air passage 2! extending downwardly within casing 12 from duct 9 and under section [4' to throat 20 from which the passage extends upwardly to the outflow duct (0.

It will be obvious that when the cooling unit herein described is completely submerged in the cold water contained within the well 8, air circulating through passage 21 will be cooled quickly by contact with the water-cooled walls of the passage. Thus with valve H positioned as shown in Figure l, the actuation of the blower will cause a forced circulation of air from one of the inlets of duct I downwardly into the cooling unit and thence upwardly to the blower after which the cooled air will be distributed throughout the 1 building as before explained. It is to be understood of course that the cooling unit can be made of any dimensions suitable to meet the requirements, it being possible to increase or reduce the number of sections comprising the water columns.

It is to be understood that the cooling units can be supported at any depth within a well but it is essential that they be completely submerged. While the tubes or air passages within the units are preferably arranged for up and down flow of air, it may be desirable under some conditions to arrange them for flow of air horizonta-lly. For example instead of arranging the passages vertically in a well they could be placed horizontally. Such an arrangement is so obvious that illustration thereof is not deemed essential.

While the air-conditioner has been shown and described as associated with a heating furnace,

it obviously could be installed independently thereof, a flue section being substituted for the furnace F.

The number of air outlets communicating with the blower can vary according t9 the requiremerits and while several have been shown at R,

constituting the walls of an air passage between the columns, said walls providing superposed con vex surfaces exposed in the air passage and extending from one to the other of said opposed walls of the casing, said air passage having an inlet and an outlet at the top of the casing, ducts extending to the inlet and outlet respectively and constituting means for positioning the casing within water contained in a-well, thereby to maintain the columns full of Water, and means for setting up a forced circulation of air through the ducts and passage and across the convex surfaces.

ALBERT J. LAMM. 

